The Lord returns after eight days to give Thomas a chance to change his mind to believe in what the other apostles had told him. We too can serenely return to our brothers and, at times, even find the way of our own heart from which at times we distance ourselves to the point of becoming estranged. The sick, the poor, the marginalized find hope and experience the resurrection just by placing themselves in the shadow of the apostle Peter. The community is inhabited by the energy and dynamism of the resurrection in the creative force of the Spirit. The communion of goods, which is not imposed as in Qumran, but freely chosen as completely natural among those who share the feeling of having been saved and for this they must make themselves the mediation of salvation. Each born again in baptismal waters feels that he is a brother and companion in the tribulation which becomes the unique place of authentic revelation. The Risen Lord personally comes to bring the apostle Thomas back to this indispensable company so that he can be healed from the wound of his restlessness and can rediscover a shared peace. Different from that of the poor is the reaction of the notables, who do not need anything, not even to be saved or, even less, to be healed. The word of the Risen One is as burning as the fire with which we began the Easter Vigil: blessed are those who have not seen and believed! Now the royal way to believe in God is to renew trust in each other by accepting that the simple shadow of the brother protects from evil and creates an ever wider space of life in which there is truly room for everyone.

Commentary by b. Michael David, osb Community of the Koinonia de la Visitation

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey